When Tony Curtis Wells moved into his Florida home last year, he discovered that the prior resident had left behind a pet alligator in the hot tub.

But instead of calling police or animal control officials about the abandoned reptile, the 32-year-old Wells decided to keep the alligator. Asked by cops what he fed the animal, Wells replied, “Chicken, just chicken,” according to an arrest affidavit.

Wells, seen in the adjacent mug shot, was questioned yesterday afternoon after cops spotted the alligator while they were at the property serving a narcotics-related search warrant (a 26-year-old woman was arrested after investigators found cocaine and pot).

After a check of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission revealed that Wells did not have a permit for the hot tub alligator, the Vero Beach man was arrested on a misdemeanor alligator possession charge.

Wells was booked into the Indian River county jail, from which he was later released after posting $500 bond. According to court records, Wells is a convicted felon whose rap sheet includes narcotics and gun convictions.